My new LEDs

[bigB]

I just got my new Reefbrite XHO setup, and I figured I would take some shots just to show it off

This is them.



This shows off the spread.



And this shows off the 1" high profile.



I'm hoping to get my paws on a PAR meter, and then I'll take some more shots of them in action.

[parrthed]

Niiice, I really like the reefbrites. They are slim and biult very well. not to mention super bright. I have yet to see the XHO in person. I bet they are blinding bright.

You have a sweet light setup there, looking forward to updates.

[BigKahuna]

Wow, my older Reefbrites are bright so I can only imagine how bright the new XHO's are. What are the color types you are using?

[bigB]

3 blues and 2 whites for a total of 180 LEDs on the 48" set up.

[madfrank]

may i ask where you got it from and how much it was?? im interested is something like that for my setup. Awesome!

[bigB]

I got them from my buddy down in Oklahoma. But, as far as a sponsor, you can get them right here http://premiumaquatics.com/aquatic-s...reefbrite.html They have 2 different models: the XHO are what I got. They are newer and brighter.

[jhs]

Iv'e seen his frag tanks...This will be an awesome addition.
Looking good Bill.

[nemokeeper]

how many watts total is it? I'm still not with the LED bandwagon as i still feel like MH are the best option as far as growth.... Do people that run LEDs really get good growth?

[bigB]

I finally got my paws on a PAR meter, so I figured I'd take some measurements of what PAR my new lights are putting out over my frag tank. My frag tank is 12" deep, but I couldn't exactly get the sensor down on the bottom. So I took the PAR measurements at 0", 6" and 10" (0" being right under the water level). My lights have 72 white LEDs and 108 blue LEDs. The LEDs are 3-watters, but they are pushing 1-1/2 watts apiece. The reason for the lower wattage is to control the temperature so it doesn't overheat and the lights will last the full 50,000 hours.

[Glo]

what PAR meter is it? what is the dimension from front to back? is there any optics? the value looks low for 270w of light over a shallow tank like this. how much did you spend?

[the droob]

I'm new to the LED thing and I'm do some research now tolearn what I can ,If you are running 3 watt led's how do you get them down to 1.5 watt ?

[BigKahuna]

Originally Posted by the droob

I'm new to the LED thing and I'm do some research now tolearn what I can ,If you are running 3 watt led's how do you get them down to 1.5 watt ?

The LED parts used are 3W but driven lower than they are capable of being driven given ideal circumstances. The manufacturer of these particular lamps chooses to run them about 1/2 power to keep the passively cooled relatively small heak-sinked strips cool. Driving them at a full 3W would likely cause them to overheat. The computer equivalent would be to run a CPU slower than maximum if you didn't have space for an adequate heat-sink or active cooling by way a fan.

From what I understand, and I could be wrong, the light output isn't linear with power ramp up. So 3W isn't 2x's as bright as 1.5W but the heat generation actually goes up significantly so going from 1.5W to 3W will probably create much more than 2x's. It's all a trade off in keeping heat down and lamp life up. I have the older model Reef Brites and they seem very bright for a strip light and the new ones are 50% more LED's in the same basic package.

[WingoLED]

Originally Posted by the droob

I'm new to the LED thing and I'm do some research now tolearn what I can ,If you are running 3 watt led's how do you get them down to 1.5 watt ?

Most power LEDs are safer be driven with constant current drivers, so choose a lower constant current driver will lower the power of the LED. For example, a 3W led usually uses 700ma to reach the "3W" mark, if you purchase a 350ma constant current driver to driver them, the LED will now run at 1W range. There are monay other methods to lower the power. PWM is one of them.

[BigKahuna]

Hey bigB I decided to augment my older Reef Brites with a new XHO model and mount them on the 3way mount similar to your 5way one and had a question. Do you just use the screws that came with the RB's or use some extra washers or standoffs? Any shots of what the brackets look like up close? Thanks in advance.

PM sent

[bigB]

[BigKahuna]

Thanks a lot man. Looks pretty simple.